This invention generally relates to the field of firearms and more specifically relates to autoloading or semiautomatic shotguns having a one-piece synthetic undercarriage.
Shotguns, generally, have several key component parts; namely, a butt stock, a receiver, and a forearm. These components and others combine to make the general physical model of a shotgun. Shotguns, traditionally, are comprised of a wooden or plastic butt stock, a metal receiver, and a wooden or plastic forearm.
Autoloading shotguns typically are assembled from separate machined components. The expense to machine these components, the tracking logistics of maintaining these separate components prior to assembly, and the final assembly of these components add to the overall cost of the shotgun for the consumer. The final product would be vastly improved with respect to manufacturing costs as well as dimensional accuracy if the major sub-components could be integrated into a single part. There is a need in the art for a more efficient and straightforward shotgun construction.
In order to improve performance of shotguns, particularly while hunting, innovations using synthetics were incorporated into the butt stock and forearm components. Currently, several manufacturers make synthetic butt stock and forearm components due to the preferred mechanical, chemical, and thermal properties and environmental resistance of synthetics as compared to traditional wooden components. As with outdoor sports and recreational products, resistance to the environmental elements is important. Water damage and corrosion effect the wooden components, such as the butt stock and forearm as well as the machined parts, such as the receiver and magazine. With traditional wooden components, the gun becomes scratched and scuffed or potentially more seriously damaged. Therefore, it is advantageous to manufacture shotgun components from more physically durable synthetic materials. An additional advantage of synthetic materials is a reduction in the costs of manufacturing and scrap rate.
The field of shotgun sports would be enhanced through the introduction of a simplified construction that maintains the performance characteristics of current firearms.
The present invention is a shotgun undercarriage, for use in conjunction with a top receiver, barrel, fire control, carrier assembly, magazine assembly, and action system. The undercarriage has an integral and unitary butt stock, bottom receiver and forearm. The butt stock is adaptable for housing an action spring; the bottom receiver has at least one opening for mounting the fire control, the carrier assembly and the top receiver; the bottom receiver contains an integrated bolt buffer; and the forearm has a magazine housing. The bottom receiver and forearm cooperate to form at least one mounting surface capable of receiving the barrel and the top receiver.
The present invention also relates to a shotgun comprising a unitary undercarriage that has a butt stock, a bottom receiver, and a forearm. The butt stock has a forward end and a rearward end and contains an axially extending action tube. The bottom receiver has a forward end and a rearward end that is formed integral and unitary with the forward end of the butt stock. The bottom receiver also has a bottom and two parallel and opposing longitudinally extending sides that each have a longitudinally extending recess. The bottom receiver also has a lip extending forwardly from the upper surface of the rearward end of the bottom receiver. Continuing rearward from the lip, the bottom receiver also has an integrated buffer extending outwardly from the interior upper surface of the rearward end of the bottom receiver. The integrated buffer is formed integral and unitary to the rearward end of the bottom receiver and extends vertically from the upper surface of the rearward end of the bottom receiver toward the bottom surface of the bottom receiver. The forearm has a forward end and a rearward end that is formed integral and unitary with the forward end of the bottom receiver. The forearm contains an axially extending magazine tube. The forearm has a top surface that defines a channel and also has a guide ring pocket formed in the forward end. A barrel with a rearward end and a forward end has a guide ring attached mesial to the rearward end and forward end. The barrel seats within the channel of the forearm and the guide ring rests within the guide ring pocket of the forearm. A top receiver with a rearward end and a forward end has its forward end in contact with the rearward end of the barrel. The attachment of the top receiver to the barrel can be accomplished in any sufficient manner including a threaded connection or a press fit connection. The top receiver further includes a bottom surface that is stepped downwardly from the top receiver to define opposing longitudinally extending shoulders along each underside of the top receiver. The shoulders seat within the longitudinally extending recesses of the bottom receiver and also the rearward end of the top receiver engages the lip of the bottom receiver. Also, a magazine assembly should be housed within the magazine tube; a fire control assembly should be mounted within the bottom of the bottom receiver; and a carrier system should be mounted within the bottom of the bottom receiver forwardly of the fire control assembly. In conjunction with an inertia-based action system, a recoil pad attached to the rearward end of the butt stock, the undercarriage, barrel, top receiver, magazine assembly, fire control assembly, carrier system, action system, and recoil pad combine and functionally cooperate to allow the shotgun to receive, carry and fire cartridges.
These and other aspects of the present invention as disclosed herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art after a reading of the following description of the preferred embodiments when considered with the drawings. The drawings are for the purpose of describing a preferred embodiment of the invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.